Bible/Theology

There are a number of ideas regarding what constitutes “wood, hay, straw,” and “gold silver precious stone” in 1Corinthians 3:12. I suggest that gold, silver, and precious stones refer to God’s wisdom (as revealed in His Word), and wood, hay, and straw refer to man’s wisdom. The key to understanding the Corinthian problem is Paul’s…

Church discipline visibly demonstrates the seriousness of sin as well as both the holiness and love Christ calls His church to live (Matthew 18:15-20). When church discipline is first implemented, the immediate fallout may appear to be all negative. However, in time the church will benefit by having honored God with obedience, and the credibility…

Christians can feel free to cry at a funeral. While we do rejoice that our loved ones who know Christ as Savior go to be with Jesus, death is still a sorrowful time. Jesus did weep at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35). We are not like those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), but as…

I just concluded a six-week series on John 12:27-50 entitled The Dynamic of the Gospel Encounter. This passage gives extraordinary insight into what actually transpires when the gospel is shared. In this series, I contrast the perspective of Calvinism and Extensivism. That is to say, does the passage teach that God unconditionally elected some to…

The Scripture clearly teaches that while all sin is sin, some sins are more sinful than others. Matthew 12:30-32 speaks of the unpardonable sin, in contrast to every other sin which can be forgiven by faith in Christ; Matthew 23:23 speaks of the “weightier provisions of the law;” John 19:11 says that in comparison to…

Glen Eyrie Scripture references from Session II Testimony of Scripture Paul Least of all saints Ephesians 3 8; Least of the apostles, 1 Corinthians 9:2 Chief of sinners 1 Timothy 1:15; wretched man that I am Romans 7:24, “I die daily” 2 Corinthians 15:31 Despaired of life, “we had the sentence of death within ourselves…

God’s will is obscured by ungratefulness! Christians (and many who give great evidence of not being Christians) often opine about knowing the will of God, as if God is hiding it from people. However, it is our ungrateful hearts rather than God that conceals His desires for us. Any follower of Jesus who truly wants…

Loving God and knowing Scripture are inseparable! The Jews were bewildered by the spiritualness and penetrating insight of Christ’s teaching because He had not been trained by the rabbinical school of His day. Jesus made it clear that He was taught of God. Of course, this prompts the question on their part, how can one…

Church membership has been variously determined at different times and places in the history of the church. At first, belonging to a local church was by free choice, but as the church and state became more integrated, church membership was often determined by one’s geographical location. The Reformation accomplished many things, but it did not…

If God used and blessed us the way we often think He should, we probably would become so prideful that He could not use and bless us as He does! “That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever” (Psalm 30:12).